Stopper for tablet containers



- Oct, 23, 1956 J. T. w. VAN LITSENBURG' 2,757,864

STOPPER FOR TABLET CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 5, 1952 INVENTOR JOSEPHF/fU/V/S lV/Zf/fZA/ZM ill-5575026 ATTORNEY United States Patent STOPPERFOR TABLET CONTAINERS Joseph Theunis Wilhelm van Litsenburg, Amsterdam,

Netherlands, assignor to Luxor Plastics N. V., Amsterdam, NetherlandsApplication November 5, 1952, Serial No. 318,857

Claims priority, application. Netherlands September 11, 1952 4 Claims.(Cl. 215-37) The invention relates to a stopper for tablet containerssaid stopper substantially consisting of artificial matter, 1

such as plastic. Such stoppers are known. Medicines and the like are asa rule packed in the form of tablets. The containers are then closedwith stoppers reaching partly in the container or over the outer wall ofsame. When manufacturing the containers, all of them do not turn out inthe same size. Moreover the total thickness of the number of tablets tobe packed in the containers is not always equal, owing to the fact, thatthe thickness of the separate tablets diifers. Therefore it is usual,after a container being filled with the desired number of tablets, tobring a plug of wadding on the last tablet and to close the containerwith a stopper. The stopper presses the plug of wadding on the tablets,which can no longer displace with respect to each other and so it is notpossible that the tablets break or pulverize partly.

Of course extra activity is necessary for the providing of the wadding.The invention relates to a stopper of such a nature, that thetablet-filling of the container is elastically held without a plug ofwadding or the like being provided.

According to the invention the stopper has at least one member beingsuspended on and connected with the stopper and being flexible inlongitudinal direction. If the stopper is made from artificial matter,it is rather simple to provide that a flexible member is suspended underthe stopper, which may be a small spiral or a flexible leg, which memberforms one whole with the stopper and generally with the upper surface ofsame. This member, e. g. the small leg, must of course be longer thanthe distance which remains between the upper surface of the tablets andthe lower surface of the stopper, so that when providing the stopper,the flexible member is compressed and in consequence of which thetablets remain at their place.

According to a preferred embodiment of the stopper according to theinvention a number 'of small legs, which are preferably placed atmutually equal distances with respect to each other and which bend underlight pressure, the points of which legs are preferably bent somewhatinwardly, are provided at the cylindrical part of the stopper whichreaches in the container. Such a construction can be made very simply.The legs can be connected with the cylindrical part of the stopper andsuspend from same as projections. It is clear that the flexibleprojection will then be pressed to the axis of the container when thestopper is placed on the container. In consequence of the spring actionof the legs it is impossible that the tablets are damaged, whereas thetablets are still pressed on each other with suflicient force to preventdisplacement of the separate tablets.

However it can be that with such a construction the flexible legs, whichof course must be thin, reach along the outer sides of the tablets. Justbecause also the diameters of the tablets difiers mutually, this dangeris not illusory in practice. In that case the legs should not press onthe tablets and the purpose of the legs should get lost. Therefore it isadvisable to bend the legs somewhat inwardly, owing to which the chancebecome larger, that the legs really press on the upper surface of thelast tablet in the container.

According to another prefer-red embodiment of the invention one or moreflexible legs, the free ends of which are also preferably bent, areattached to the upper surface of the stopper. When the legs are attachedto the upper surface, some can easier be placed staggered with respectto the cylindrical part of the stopper. The chance, that the legs reachaside the tablets in the container, is then much smaller.

In order to provide that the legs are connected with the uppersurface ofthe stopper in a solid manner, an embodiment can be chosen, with whichthe legs form one whole with a ring, which forms one whole with or is atleast connected with the upper surface of the stopper. Just because inthis manner the legs, which can be bent inwardly or outwardly, liecompletely free from the wall of the cylindrical part of the stopper,this principle can also be applied with those stoppers, reaching overthe outer wall of the container. Up to now we supposed that thecylindrical part of the stoppers reaches in the container. However alsostoppers can be made, whereby the cylindrical part reaches over thecontainer. If the inner wall of the cylinder of the stopper, which mustreach over the container, lies at a distance from the ring carrying thelegs equal or larger than the thickness of the container, thecylindrical part can fall over the container, Whereas the legs alwayscome above the upper surface of the last tablet.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing and more precisely describedunderneath.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-section and top view of a stopper according to theinvention.

Fig. 1a is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section and top view of another embodiment.

Fig. 2a is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section and top view of still another embodiment.

Fig. 3a is a plan view of Fig. 3.

The stopper according to the Figures 1-3 is preferably made ofartificial matter, such as plastic. The stopper according to Fig. 1 hasan usual surface 1 and a cylindrical part 2. In order to make thestopper suited for containers with somewhat different inner-diameters,the stopper, at least the cylindrical part of same, has inwardly bentparts, in consequence of which the cylinder becomes somewhat resilient.Same does not belong to the scope of the invention. In the illustratedembodiment three flexible legs 3 are attached to the cylindrical part,which legs are somewhat inwardly bent. As these legs are very thin, theybend under light pressure and when placing the stoppers in the containerthe legs press the tablets on each other. The legs 3 can form one wholewith the cylindrical part 2 or they can be attached to same by gluing orthe like.

The stopper according to Fig. 2 has also an upper surface 1, which has alarger diameter than the diameter of the container. The cylindrical part2 is also connected with this upper surface. In the cylindrical part isa ring 4, to which the legs 5 are fixed. The legs form one whole withthe ring and the free ends of same are, according to this embodiment,bent outwardly at 6.

The same principle can be found in the stopper according to Fig. 3.However this stopper diflers from the described stopper in that thecylindrical part 2 is intended to fall over the container. Therefore thering 4 is situated at such a distance from the inner wall of the cylin-3 drieal part 2, that in the space between both the wall of a containercan be placed. For the rest of the construction of the last mentionedstopper is about the same.

I claim:

1. A closure device for closing an opening of a receptacle containingmaterial in pellet form, the said closure device comprising a hollow capshaped member having a generally cylindrical hollow neck portion forfitment in said receptacle opening with a frictional fit and a headportion engageable with the wall portion of the receptacle defining saidopening, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible fingersextending axially outwardly within said neck portion and protrudingbeyond the rim of the neck portion, said fingers having their free endscurved radially outwardly.

2. A closure device according to claim 1, wherein the outer ends of saidfingers are inwardly bent.

3. A closure device for closing an opening of a receptacle containingmaterial in pellet form, the said closure device comprising a hollow capshaped member having a generally cylindrical hollow neck portion forfitment in said receptacle opening in frictional engagement therewithand a head portion engageable with the wall portion of the receptacledefining said opening, a ring portion rising from the base of said neckportion radially spaced apart from the side wall thereof, therebyforming a ring space between said ring portion and the side wall of theneck portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexiblefingers extending axially outwardly from the free edge of said ringportion and protruding beyond the rim of the neck portion, said fingersbeing integrally formed with the ring portion and having their free endscurved radially outwardly.

4. A closure device for closing the mouth of a receptacle containingmaterial in pellet form, the said closure device comprising a hollow caphaving an outer ring flange depending from the rim of the cap and aninner ring flange depending from the base of the cap radially spacedfrom said outer flange to form an annular space between the flanges forfitting the outer flange upon said receptacle and the inner flange insaid mouth, and a plurality of flexible fingers extending incircumferentially spaced relationship from the inner base portion of thecap circumscribed by said inner flange and protruding beyond the rim ofsaid outer flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS567,488 MOehn Sept. 8, 1896 871,271 Hall Nov. 19, 1907 1,770,057Anderson July 8, 1930 2,222,042 Nitardy et al. Nov. 19, 1940 2,526,225Gronemeyer et al. Oct. 17, 1950 2,649,090 Parsons et al. Aug. 18, 19532,681,463 Gordon June 22, 1954

